Host a Victorian Garden Tea Party

The most famous tea party is the Boston Tea party, where tea leaves were brewed at the depths of cold ocean waters, rather than singing high while steaming in the tea kettle.

Before the 19th century, only an early morning breakfast and late dinner existing until Anna, the 7th Duchess of Britain asked for tea and light refreshments one afternoon in 1840. It started a whole new tradition of feasting on a variety of baked sweets while sipping on warm tea and chatting with your favorite guest. This soon developed in both England and the US, where formal tea dances were held as upscale parties to dress your best and showcase your finest china and linens. Some tea parties were held outdoors, with mini games and entertainment provided to make it an all day event.

You can set the Victorian garden tea party theme for both indoors and outside at the same time, if you prefer. If you have a smaller formal dining space, just extend your party through your deck (dress up the wood by using a large rug underneath tables) and/or backyard to ensure the perfect party setting regardless of weather conditions. If your guests get too hot or it starts to rain, it's easier to move to the already arranged indoor space.

Keep a side or buffet table handy with extra linens and dishes so that the hostess does not need to run back and forth from the kitchen, wasting valuable tea serving time. Extra cups should be placed on saucers and not stacked inside themselves, unless you are going for whimsical appeal. Provide sugar cubes in a dish with mini tongs to serve, or elegant sugar dishes with silver spoons for granulated. Use cloth napkins, don't cheat and use cheap paper disposables. It's worth one little extra load of laundry, really... :)

Teapots should be silver and/or bone china if possible. Keep a few already brewed choices full in the pots at all times, or instead fill them with just hot water, and carry around a basket full of tea bag varieties for a greater selection. If there are many guests on the list, choose 2 or 3 people to help "pour", which is quite an honor for them, traditionally.